Welcome to The Office of International Programs!

Dr. Boo Kwa
Associate Dean
International Programs, COPH

As Associate Dean for International Programs at USF’s College of Public Health, I take great pleasure in welcoming you to the Office of International Programs website. Did you know that the College of Public Health is in the forefront in preparing the future leaders of the global public health revolution? Our students come to us with a new level of enthusiasm and our faculty responds by reaching out to all corners of the globe to create learning experiences like no other.

To assure successful outcomes in international work, the Office of International Programs supports and serves students and faculty in their research, education, program development endeavors, and entrepreneurial initiatives prior to, and throughout their time abroad. We do this by identifying global partners through international collaborative agreements, and by providing support for students and faculty through expert advisement, and international travel awards and scholarships. International field experiences give students mentored work placements abroad that prepare them for careers in areas as diverse as global emerging infectious disease, health disparities and environmental impacts on health. And, we host a variety of shorter study tours to countries around the world. Through our Peace Corps Master’s International Program our graduates return to the US ready to take on public health challenges of interest locally and globally. Visit the Office of International Programs and learn how we can help you discover, grow and make the world a better place. Public Health is a global discipline and we are dedicated to improving public health around the world. Health is, after all, something everyone wants and can agree upon, the point of commonality, a peacemaker in the world today.

COPH International Programs Staff

Jesse Casanova graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla., in 2004. He joined the Peace Corps and served in Togo, West Africa, from 2006-08 as a natural resource management volunteer. He then worked as an English instructor in South Korea from 2008-09.

Upon completing his service in South Korea, he attended Universidad de Deusto in Bilbao, Spain, where he earned an M.Sc. in international humanitarian action in the Network on Humanitarian Assistance in 2011. He then worked in Cameroon as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer and in malaria control at the national level with the Ministry of Health, the Global Fund, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Embassy. He finished that 13-month assignment in 2013, when he accepted his current USF position as director of International Programs in the College of Public Health.

Ms. Kay White is an Administrative Assistant for the International Programs division in the Dean’s office at the University of South, Florida College of Public Health. She began working for the college in the spring of 2001. Although Kay’s international travel experiences have been limited, she considers herself an international citizen through her many international friends and her love for international cuisine.

Kay’s artistic abilities were present at an early age and upon entering college it seemed majoring in the arts was a perfect fit. She soon realized that her “barn yard” paintings were not going to lead to a lucrative future. Fortunately for her, she had a head for business. In the years prior to her employment with the university, she managed international car dealerships as well as a criminal law firm. She later started her own travel agency specializing in travel to the Caribbean. Along the way she was privileged to acquire friendships with people from various areas of the world. Kay feels fortunate her work in international programs allows her to continue to grow culturally through the interactions of the students, staff and faculty of the College of Public Health.

Silvia Alvarez is the Graduate Assistant for the Department of International Programs at COPH. She received her B.A in International Affairs from Florida International University and is currently working towards obtaining her MPH in Global Communicable Diseases. She is originally from Peru and has always been passionate about health disparities happening back in her native country. She is also an avid traveler, who has been to Spain, France, Italy, U.K, Germany, Czech Republic, Belgium, Netherlands, Greece, Malaysia, Thailand, and Taiwan. She loves to learn new languages as well as be exposed to as many cultures as possible and hopes to work towards implementing more study abroad possibilities for students.